At work today I decided to test my charging system...everything came up good. Battery is good, starting system is good, alternator is good.
Currently running on a Bosch 770cca.

First time I tested it the battery showed up 84% charged after sitting for 30 minutes. The last time I tested it(a month ago) it was similar, only 90% charged after sitting for 10 minutes. Our testers are not garbage ones either. Both tests came up good.

Alternator is running fine. I've felt the bearing before & its smooth. Occasionally when idling it does sound like its struggling, but it does it every once & a while... Our tester would pick up on it if there was something up..
The battery is dated November 2010, so it is running close to its life. Our tester does come up with a notification if it is nearing its life, and it did not this time..

I tested with the testers volt meter to see if its dropping at all when off & it didn't even budge.

I have a feeling this is linked to the random hesitation I've been getting at start-up... maybe its struggling with getting power? I've never experienced any problems when its warm, only when it drops below 32*
It seems like every car I drive I wind up buying & replacing the battery & alternator..

 

When you tested it what did it have for CCA's.I've seen tons of battery's pass with the testers but have 150 less CCA's than it's rated for.The cold will suck the CCA's down quick to.We get a lot of hard starts an thats tends to be the case.They'll have good volts an good battery health but low CCA's

 

If the battery checks out okay and the starter isn't drawing excessive amperage (under load) then it's possible your cables are oxidized and introducing excessive resistance into the circuit. Cold weather can also take a toll on batteries - even brand new ones. Colder weather inhibits the battery's ability to produce power so it will discharge quicker. When you start getting into single digit temperatures a battery (even a new one) can lose as much as half of its power. If you live where it gets extremely cold every Winter it might be a good idea to get a battery blanket (basically a heating pad for your battery) or attach a battery tender to it at night to keep the liquid in the battery warm and the charge up.

 

I'm going to have to agree. Unless your tester is telling you exactly how many CCA it is putting out in the cold, you just won't know.

Our cars are electronic hogs, they need a good amount of CCA to crank over fast. I don't think your battery is nearing the end of its life, I just think it's struggling in the terrible arctic cold we have been having.

 

I'm just hoping it doesn't give me too much trouble before I save up enough..

 

I recently had my battery on the monte tested at advanced auto They claimed the battery just need to be charged..(batterys less than a year old) 750 CCA.. Because for some odd reason it went LO on charge ( it sat for 4 days) and the auto start wouldnt work... So after I had them test it. I thought I owe myself a 2nd opinion..

So I took it to Oreilys:
Had them test it...It also checked ok....Both used that new electronic black box..

My neighbor across the street also has a battery testor..( has the old school type) He load tested the battery... It showed it had a bad cell... and failed the test! Needless to say I had to go buy a new one!

Which just goes to show you that the new testers at your local auto parts dont always have the ability to test it to its fullest! IMO....

Even though my battery had a warranty...The auto parts wouldnt honor it.
All because there claim to fame was... Our tester is accurate..o, we cant give you a new replacement... What a Joke... I will no longer be useing that particular Auto Parts..Ever again...
And to think I had been going there for over 10 yrs!

 

Yea I'm not to fond of any tester that doesn't show CCA's.The Toyota ones we got are great they catch a lot of weak batteries that most places seem to think are good.

 

I wound up buying a new battery today & what a -bleeeeeeeep-

It took a total of 2 HOURS!!! and 3 people to get this thing out!!!! I'm shocked the hold down bolt came out un-stripped...the tray & hold down was so rusted I had to power my way through rust build up on the threads. The entire time I'm just saying to myself "I stripped it, I know I stripped it!!" It took so much force to spin the bolt the ratchet was actually breaking, so much torque was applied that the ratchet slipped internally (not a cheap one either!)

Car starts strong now...

 

Car starts strong only in warm weather... Its been giving me problems ever since the cold rushed back in..
Its starting to get worse. Just earlier I started my car as I finished closing down the store. Long cranking start again. Once she started it was ok. Pulled it closer to the store...let it sit for 10 minutes.

I get ready to leave, sit in my car & noticed the idle was beginning to drop again. Alot more than the last time. Dropped about 6 times & each time it was fine after a tap of the gas. Once I got out of the lot she ran fine.

Beginning to lean towards a fuel pressure regulator. Figures...I guess a new belt tensioner is going to wait.. I wonder how long I can milk that.

Is it easy to change the fuel pressure regulator?

 

If im not mistaken...(which I could be) I thought there was a recall on your style/year Monte for that very same Issue?